"Is this what your cousin gave you?" Wen Tonghai asked.
"Yes." Wenxuan felt uneasy and dared not say more.
Wen Tonghai glanced through several of them, but not knowing much about this one, he only looked at it briefly before ordering Steward Wang to bring a brazier and burning all the books in front of Wen Xuan.
"grandfather--"
Wenxuan tried to save him, but seeing the look in his grandfather's eyes, he could only watch helplessly as his precious child was burned.
When Wen Tonghai saw the last book turn to ashes, he looked at his grandson and said, "Remember, whatever fame or achievement you attain, it is the result of your hard work over the years, and has nothing to do with anyone else."
Wenxuan, being a scholar, was startled by these words and realized what his grandfather meant.
He was secretly pleased from the moment he saw the questions, and thought his cousin was really capable, as she was able to guess a few of them correctly.
Looking back now, I realize that if I had actually said it, I would have harmed my cousin.
I don't know how my cousin found out, but it's obviously not a good thing.
He set aside the formalities, bowed deeply to his grandfather, and said, "Grandson understands."
"Alright, you can go now!"
Wenxuan left.
The initial excitement had faded, replaced by a greater sense of caution.
Wenxuan, being the descendant of a merchant, was quick-witted and soon grasped the crux of the matter. His arrogance gradually subsided, and he developed a genuine admiration for his cousin.
In any case, my cousin really did a lot for herself.
For example, my grandfather's health was clearly very poor, but after taking the medicine that my cousin had someone bring him, his condition improved significantly.
Thinking about this, he felt somewhat ashamed.
They are all descendants of the Wen family, yet my cousin is so worried about them.
He should stand up, just as his cousin expected of him.
Originally, he felt he should rest well after returning home, but this time, he felt that wasn't enough.
After seeing Wen Xuan off, Wen Tonghai was still a little worried, so he met with Wen Kai and Wen Tao one after the other, and gave them each some instructions.
......
Time flies.
At first, everyone looked forward to the scientific expedition, and when the expedition actually took place, they looked forward to the results.
At this moment, everyone's feelings were very complicated.
We eagerly await the results, hoping for a good outcome. But among so many students, how many are truly happy?
There can only be one top scorer, and everyone thinks they are the best. So who will truly be the one who laughs last?
...
General's Mansion.
Beiyuan.
Chen Siyuan knew that Tan Weilin was the top scholar in her previous life.
There shouldn't be any changes this time.
These past few days, I specifically asked Wang Li to go out and inquire. Tan Weilin is indeed quite talented. He was a child prodigy from a young age. He is studious, polite, and has a well-known good reputation.
He wasn't from the capital, but he had only been there a short time and had already gained a good reputation.
More importantly, several high-ranking officials came from Tan Weilin's family.
Hearing this, Chen Siyuan felt that Wenxuan was even less likely to be compared to them.
They work so hard. Wenxuan only started studying openly recently. Before, he had to hide and study. He had to start studying hard from a young age. They also have such a strong family background. There's no way they can compare.
If Wenxuan doesn't have too high expectations, he can achieve good results this time as well.
Time flew by, and the day of the results announcement arrived. After breakfast, Chen Siyuan arrived at the Wen family's house early.
This time, she was much more well-behaved. She first went to pay her respects to her maternal grandfather and then shamelessly stayed behind.
Wen Tonghai dismissed the servants, leaving only the two of them, drinking tea and lecturing each other.
“I don’t care how you found out those things, just remember, there will absolutely be no next time.”
"Hmm." Chen Siyuan knew the gravity of the situation; if someone found out, who knew what would happen.
"That's good." His granddaughter was sensible and knew what was going on. Wen Tonghai put away his serious expression and deliberately eased the atmosphere.
“I sent people to investigate Tan Weilin.”
Chen Siyuan lowered her head and smiled.
When asked if she didn't trust him and instead sent someone to investigate, she smiled and said, "I've investigated too."
They both laughed at the same time.
They chatted and laughed, and time flew by. Before they knew it, the time had passed and there was still no movement outside. They wondered if they had placed too high expectations on Wenxuan, or they might be disappointed.
Neither of them felt much burdened by this; whether it succeeded or not was up to fate and couldn't be easily changed.
Chen Siyuan's efforts to secure these things for Wenxuan this time are vastly different from her previous life. She feels she has done her best to ensure Wenxuan's success, and other matters are beyond her control.
...
Nanyuan.
Madam Wen clasped her hands together and murmured, "May Buddha bless my son so that he may pass the exam."
Seeing his wife like this, Wen Fuzhi didn't know what to say.
He hadn't thought about it at first, but seeing how hard his son was working, he started to hope for it too. He had inquired a lot these past few days, but seeing that it was already this late and there was still no progress, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
They originally thought the Wen family would produce some talented people this year, but it turns out their expectations were too high.
Thinking about it, I went to take a look outside my son's house.
Today is the day the results are released, and his son is still able to calm down and study. He is content with that.
"Madam, please stop reading. If it doesn't work this time, we can try again next time. Don't let this affect our son."
Madam Wen nodded, glancing towards her son's room, hoping he could calmly accept the outcome.
She's been fighting with her son and comparing herself to the second wife for years, and she's exhausted.
In any case, the current peace is good, and there is no need to break up a family.
This was the most relaxed period I've had in recent years.
Seeing the smile on her husband's face and her son's obedience, she seemed to think that being an ordinary woman was not bad at all; there was no need to compare or compete.
If her life was destined to be this uneventful, she accepted it.
Her thoughts shifted, and she tried to think of how to comfort her son later.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside.
Immediately afterward, Butler Wang ran in from outside.
"Third Master, Third Madam." Butler Wang, though old, was so happy upon hearing the news that he didn't even catch his breath before rushing over.
"What's wrong?" Wen Fuzhi was a man after all, and Butler Wang was his father's butler. Could something have happened to his father? He couldn't care less about his son's matter at this moment, and pulled Butler Wang outside.
Butler Wang followed along passively. After catching his breath, he grinned foolishly at Wen Fuzhi, "Third Master, Third Master, the Third Young Master passed! He passed!"
"What? What did you say?" Wen Fuzhi asked after a long pause before finally managing to utter this sentence.
"A Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), the Third Young Master is one of the eighteen Jinshi."
"What did you say?" Madam Wen rushed over and asked excitedly.
"He passed! The Third Young Master has become a Jinshi, ranking eighteenth."
This was the second time Butler Wang had brought it up, and it went much more smoothly than the last time.
Wenxuan, who came out of the house upon hearing the commotion, was overjoyed to hear that he had passed the imperial examination again and immediately ran outside.
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